Finless Heat Sinks, High Performance and Low Cost for Low Profile Cooling Applications

Abstract

The need for low profile, sustainable thermal management solutions is becoming critical in information and communications technology applications ranging from consumer products to server cabinets. This work presents a finless thermal management solution that utilizes fluidic structures generated within an empty cavity to enhance the heat transfer coefficient. The finless thermal management solution can be manufactured to have a height of less than 5 mm when using low profile motors. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) combined with infrared (IR) imaging techniques are used to explain the underlying flow physics that results in increased heat transfer rates compared to typical laminar flows. It is found that the local heat transfer coefficients in the finless design are up to 500% greater than those achieved at the same Reynolds number using conventional boundary layer theory. The design is compared to an existing commercial solution and is found to provide benefits in terms of cost, reliability, weight, acoustics, and fan power consumption. These advancements over current state of the art lead to a more sustainable solution for low cost, low profile cooling applications.